Archive for the ‘Illegal activity’ Category

I’m still not sure what to make of Thomas Pigeon and his recent charges…just goes to show that if you do something wrong and someone notices, even years later you’ll pay for it!

Pigeon – the former host of the popular Canadian television show; Canada in the Rough, is being forced to pay $8000 restitution for 2 muskox and a wood bison believed to be taken illegally more than 11 years ago!

In March 2003, Pigeon headed to Nunavut and Northwest Territories to capture footage for his hunting adventure show, Canada in the Rough.

Although a lot of time has passed, someone tipped off authorities here in Ontario regarding mounts Pigeon brought back to the province.

Wildlife investigators have since seized video footage of the illegal hunt which had been broadcast as part of Canada in the Rough back in 2003.

Too much time passed to charge Pigeon for illegal hunting however, investigators used the footage to make their case for the illegal possession charges.

It’s illegal in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories to use vehicles to get within 1.5 kilometres of a muskox for the purpose of hunting.

In a news release, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources says video footage shows muskox being herded by the guides using snowmobiles so that Pigeon can shoot them.

“The final production depicts the hunters as engaged in a fair chase hunt while approaching the animals on foot and then shooting them,” the release says.

Pigeon has pleaded guilty to the charges and ordered to pay $8000 in fines!

In addition to the fines, the taxidermy mounts were forfeited to the Crown.

Note: It should be noted that NONE of these charges are in any way linked to current hosts of Canada in the Rough, the Beasley brothers. I know them personally and they run an ethical and conservation based series..

Every once and awhile, a needless and wasteful act involving fish & wildlife comes up and it gives all honest hunters and conservationists a bad name.

This is one such case….

Below are images taken of a deer carcass discovered this past weekend in our very own Marlborough Forest. The disturbing photos clearly show the carcass of a whitetail buck stripped of its antlers, back strap and very little else in my opinion.

The remainder of the animal was then draped over a fence post and left to rot. Both front shoulders remain in tact, and you will clearly see where the backstraps were removed.

One theory put forward is that the carcass was laid out as bait for bears, in the few days of the Ontario bear season that remain.

There is also no indication whether this deer was harvested legally, or even tagged, but the waste of meat in this case is blatant!

Since the MNR – Kemptville office is currently investigating this incident, no names are being released at this time and the term ‘poaching’ will not be used.

I find it very difficult to believe someone would stoop to this; given the fact that whitetail populations in most regions are in rebuild mode….it’s a bloody shame!

This is the kind of news that makes hunters and conservationists sick to their stomach!

According to the MNR, there are more than 18 cases of abandoned moose currently under investigation across Ontario!!

The Ministry of Natural Resources is seeking the public’s help in solving cases of the unlawful shooting and abandonment of moose across Ontario.

A number of investigations are currently ongoing. The ministry has evidence that the hunter or hunters were aware the animal had been shot and killed, and that the moose carcass was abandoned intentionally.

Individual hunters are only permitted to lawfully hunt an adult male (bull), adult female (cow) or a calf depending on the moose tag they possess. Hunters who mistakenly shoot a moose to which they are not entitled are encouraged to contact a conservation officer immediately to have the circumstances of the situation investigated.

Moose hunting in Ontario is highly regulated, and the majority of hunters respect the laws established to ensure the future of this activity. Moose hunters bring a significant economic benefit to many small communities across the province and travel great distances to participate in the hunt.

If you have any information about these cases or any natural resources violation, please call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Of the many hundreds of articles I have written over the years, there is one topic I have yet to cover and have steered clear of until now…

So, please excuse me while I vent!

For anyone out there who has had their house, cottage or camp broke into, you’ll know how I feel. We had our house broken into last year and all of our computers and many personal items were stolen.

It is a sickening feeling, a feeling of being violated I tell you, to return to your home after something like that…to know that some scumbag has rifled through your wife and daughter’s underwear drawer just makes my blood boil!

Yes, a home break-in was something new for me, but unfortunately hunt camp break-in’s are something I’ve been dealing with since I was a kid.

As a boy growing up in the country in a town of 350 people, we never had the need for a ‘cottage’ per say. The camp really was our cottage and we would visit it almost every week as a family.

As I got older I started hunting at our camp my father and uncles, I quickly learned though why my father was always so stressed when we arrived, and he approached the front door.

If I had to estimate, I’d say our camp has been broken into and vandalized no less than 20 times over the years. We have replaced the propane lights and fridge easily 8 times. We run an average of about one break-in every 5 –years, and since we’ve had a camp in that location since 1941, it works out to about a five year average.
Now that, my friends, is pretty damn pathetic!!

You know, it’s not so much the fact that someone breaks-in the front door or through the side-window protective panels, it’s what they do when they get inside. Usually they’d just steal the propane fixtures, lamps, fridge and stoves, but other times they’d mess with more personal items.

We’ve had 3 moose heads stolen over the years and copious deer antlers. One time the bastards took our old black and white family hunting photos and tossed down the outhouse hole. They’ve slept there over night and vomited on our beds. They’ve taken our cutlery and thrown it into the creek.

Now, who does that kind of thing? To me, this is the ultimate form of disrespect and it must take the lowest form of life to carry out an act as degrading as this.

One time back in 1995 a friend of ours dropped by the house to say he had just come back from fishing and noticed some guy ‘living in our camp!’

What???

We headed up the mountain roads like a bat out of hell not knowing what to expect when we got there..but sure enough, we could see through the window there was some guy inside drinking coffee, sitting in MY Goddamn chair !!

The prick had broken down the front door and torn off both side window panels. He also had a 22-calibre rifle hanging from one of the coat racks, so wehad to be quick!

When my father, brother-in-law’s and I charged through the front door, Dad grabbed the axe on the way in and held it to guy’s head!

Man, I thought for a moment (& secretly hoped) the old man was going to split him wide-open, but he didn’t. He just held his cool and asked the guy what he was doing. I’ve never seen such fear on a person’s face and by God did this fellow deserve it.

The police arrived a short time later and we found out he was a troubled lad whose parents lived just a few miles away. My father was the bigger man…and agreed not to press charges so long as they paid for the damage and promised never to return.

That’s just one example of what we have had to deal with over the years. Last fall they broke in yet again, stole my Dad’s nice 50″ moose antlers, a frying pan and a couple of smaller items. Nothing huge was taken, just enough to piss you off. But then they finished off by driving an axe through the wall where the moose rack had been.

It was a gesture that really got under the old man’s skin and mine too!

I ask you, what is wrong with people today that they need to invade someone’s space like that. It is, in my opinion, about as disrespectful as it gets.

Sure, we have contemplated leaving the front door open and letting people use the camp with a nice little note asking to please clean up afterwards.

We tried that in the early days, and it simply did not work.

Did I explain there has been a camp in this location since 1941? Yes, but this is actually our third camp in that spot. The previous two camps were burned to ground in the 40′s and 50′s. Our current camp built by my Grandfather has been there since 1960..which would make this year the camp’s 50th Anniversary. Trust me, we’re going to celebrate!

Each time we get broken-into we have resigned ourselves to looking on the bright side. It’s all we have left. “At least they didn’t burn it down” my father would say to me each time.

After all that has happen over the years, though, the tension is still there and has built to a point where I really pity the person we catch breaking-in.

And I have a feeling, after 70 years of dealing with this my father may not hold back on the axe next time, and you know what, I wouldn’t blame him a bit!

About Jeff

Jeff Morrison is an avid outdoorsman, a member of the Outdoor Writers of Canada and former Ottawa Sun Outdoors columnist.

Over the past 10 years, Jeff has contributed to several outdoor publications and websites, and has just written his first book – Weird Facts about Fishing.

A consummate sportsman and conservationist, Jeff enjoys hunting, fishing and camping. In The Outdoors Guy, Jeff picks up where he left off with the Sun column, and encourages local outdoor enthusiasts to share their thoughts.